Josiah Citrin Makes Burgers in Maui, Forgets to Tell L.A.

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Honolulu Magazine reports the curious case of another one of L.A.’s French chefs in the midst of a new project on island shores, as Josiah Citrin, the chef and owner of Santa Monica’s two Michelin-starred Melisse, has reportedly opened Sure Thing Burger, a casual fast food stand in Lahaina, Maui. While the mag calls this Citrin’s own baby, some dude on Yelp notes that he was simply brought in to perfect the burgers here (though learning anything from Yelp just might be the foodie equivalent of hearing the birds and bees from a kid on the playground). Wha-wha-what’s this all about?!

Hmmm. Well, maybe once he’s done moonlighting in Maui, he can craft us all our own island-influenced burgers at Melisse neighbor and home-grown Hawaiian burger joint, The Shaka Shack. Is that a high-brow meets low-brow pop-up we smell in the air?

UPDATE: Citrin’s press rep releases the following statement: Josiah Citrin, chef/owner of Mélisse in Santa Monica, confirms that he has opened Sure Thing Burger, a burger stand in Lahaina, Maui in January 2012. Citrin and partner Scott Picard’s concept focuses on Citrin’s expression of the perfectly executed burger, using hormone and antibiotic-free grass-fed beef and locally sourced ingredients. The menu includes four burger varieties - beef, pork, veggie and turkey - each crafted with Citrin’s sauce combination and custom bun recipe. Citrin and Picard are looking to develop the Sure Thing Burger prototype in other markets around the United States.